X5 High Mileage Problems?
 

Hi, I finally narrowed my search for a new car down to the X5 and I'm looking at 2001-2004's in either a 4.4 or 4.6. My budget is around 17,500-25,000 although I dont really want to spend 25,000. With that budget and those engines I'm looking at cars with anywhere from 60,000 miles to about 85,000 and im just wondering what kind of problems could set my bank account back. The cars are all in good condition but is there any pricy repairs coming up? I was previously looking at A6's and around 90,000 miles you have to replace water pump, timing belt, ect... and that was about a $1,400 fix. This will be my daily driver. Thanks for your help.:popcorn:

air suspension
 

beware of the air suspension. I have a 02 with 96k miles and air suspension all around. it's $1000 a corner to replace a leaky air strut. I paid a mechanic to change the driver front last july ($1000) and just changed the passenger front myself last month ($700). Got the part from a mechanic buddy in San Fran at a discounted price, and installing was a piece of cake. I think if I ever have to replace the control module (I heard it's about $2k) I am going to look for someone who knows how to put some regular strut/springs suspension and convert it.

Here is some of the homework ive done before purchasing my x5 several weeks ago. Because its a bmw, you never can tell what will go wrong with a high mileage vehicle. BMW basically washes their hands of the car after 50,000 unless the vehicle is cpo'd.

If the car was driven hard, as most bmw's are, the chances of the engine having hesitation or rough idle will be more evident and the suspension will not be as crisp as it ought to be. It is true that many engines dont break in until 50,000 however you dont want to get a beaten one. it all depends on what you are willing to put up with and accept and the luck you have finding a well kept x5. You'll read everywhere how the car had a single owner or two owners and was babied but if you ever knew a bmw owner, they often DRIVE the car to the limits like a bat outta hell (unless of course you are buying it from a little old lady with no kids).

Your chances of getting a better conditioned vehicle will come from an adult owner who has multiple cars and will have driven the car with reasonable rather than be a daily beater.

If you get a car with the panoramic roof, they are subject to rattling and leaks so be aware. You'll want to get that addressed by the previous owner if evident.

Stay away from cars that are driven on the track. drive several x5's to get a feel of what a new and beaten one responds.

Another common problem ive read is the handle on the rear trunk lid. People use excess pressure on the electronic handle only to realize its locked.

Excess moisture in the headlamps is another problem the dealer often addresses.

19"+ Wheels tend to have uneven tread wear in the rear. I believe the inside wears quicker than the outside and more common when owners upgrade to larger wheels without doing a proper alignment.

Check the dashboard computer display. Many ive seen have broken pixels. This is an expensive repair.

Window regulators tend to go bad. If it was repaired/replaced improperly, you may hear a rattle when shutting the doors. Open all the windows and then open and close each door to check for the noise.

Tires can easily run $800 - $1000+ so use that as a negotiation point when shopping.

Many early models had problems with the rear tail lamp burning out. Also have a friend walk around the car while you press the brake lights. Having a broken LED on the thrid brake light may cost you to repair.

As most of this info goes for any used car... check for paintwork. having been in a fender bender shouldnt be a deal breaker however finding out that a car has been inadequately fixed is. My car had paintwork on the rear passenger door and i recently found that the car had a light hit in the front. the bwm bodyshop did a decent job with the superficial paintwork and repairs however i took it to my own shop to replace the cracked black plastic, broken bumper grills and missing screws and plugs ($42 in parts) as well as re-align the front bumper reinforcement and slightly pull the bumper reinrocement out 2mm to better align the front bumper. To be honest, rarely does a prior owner, body shop or dealer will have as much attention to detail as a mechanically inclined owner. I'm pretty anal about cars and luckily have a friend who owns a body shop to help spot work on the cars ive owned

Seriously look at the car before deciding on the purchase. Parts and labor for the x5 arent for the frugal and you wouldnt want to buy someone elses problems no matter how discounted of a price you find the vehicle.

Many people will have varying opinions on the matter so use your best judgement and find what suits you.

Best of luck.
AC

BrockWed,
A frequently asked question; unfortunately there is not a sticky or a page
devoted to the quirks, glitches and repairs. The Search Tab, which we often
direct a newbie toward, doesn't 'like' long winded search questions to hunt...

Here's a link to threads that cover many of the topics in your question:
http://www.xoutpost.com/search.php?searchid=1154707

CityDweller, above, had some good tips.

Your budget may limit you on the newer MYs unless those years have
super high mileage or, are an auction toss. Otoh, the '01s/'02s don't
have quite the "fixed the glitch" time that newer MYs have.

Do some hard shopping, do some perusing here and see what others have
paid. There are a plethora of used X5s on the mkt, so one need not fall in love
with the first or 2nd one sees. If possible, I would "run the key" at a BMW stlr
of any car you were serious about; that will tell you service/maint history, for
any work done at any stlr.

Water pump, coolant reservoir and related hoses, brake pads & rotors, etc.
GL,mD

for that money you should just get a 3.0 with lower miles or the facelifted version

Thanks for all the help, I'm going to go out and test drive a couple this week. hope it goes well.

I bought my 2000 (4.4) at 42k and now has 92k. So far 3 window regulators (usually when it's raining), 2 rear taillight assemblies (intermittend light outages due to warping), 1 composite radiator (ouch), 4 tires at 90k, all 4 brakes at 65k, all pretty normal stuff. The one painful item was the front CV axels at about 90k. The boots dry out, crack, and loose their grease, then the only option is to replace. Make sure you or your mechanic look at this closely. The 4.4 is a horse and has been around for a long time. Don't even drive the 4.4 if you are thinking about the 3.0. The 3.0 is a great motor, but once you've tried the 4.4, you'll want it.

Yah I'm only looking at the 4.4 and up, 3.0 is a to slow for me. I was going to go with a quick sedan but I am going to move to a snowy region so I need an SUV.

How many miles do you think is too many miles for a 2001-2003 X5 4.4 or 4.8. I'm finding them with wide varrying ranges of miles, and obviously less is better but less is also more expensive. Assuming they treated there car well to average. thanks!

Difficult question to answer. It depends on many things but primarily how it has been driven (some people can kill any car rapidly) and of course maintained. For example in my opinion it is better to buy a 90k miles X5 on which water pump, radiator, hoses CV joints, etc... have been recently changed rather than a 65k miles on which one all of the above will have to be replaced within the next 15/20k. You need to ask for maintenance records. Never buy an X with no maintenance information and go for an extended warranty if you can afford it. It will request you to shade an additional 2k or more but it is worse it trust me.